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Hi, looking for advice

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Hi, looking for advice

Postby Jordi44 » Sun Jul 29, 2018 7:12 am

Hi, I haven't had a parrot type in several years, but in the past, I've had everything from budgies to macaws. I'm currently thinking of getting a hand-raised greenwing macaw baby. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about Avian Adventures Aviary in CA? Their website is incredible and says all the right things and more. I'm in IN, so can't visit. Any comments welcome, or any other suggested breeders. Thanks.
Jordi44
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Flight: Yes

Re: Hi, looking for advice

Postby Pajarita » Sun Jul 29, 2018 9:14 am

Welcome to the forum, Jordi, and thank you for doing research before you get your bird. Now, please understand that I am not only an animal rights activist but I also ran my own bird rescue for 6 years so take this into consideration when reading my reply.

I know nothing about these breeders but what I can tell you is that, on the net, it's super easy to make a place look wonderful even when it's not so, personally, I would never buy anything based on the pictures or stories posted to a website. I would strongly suggest you visit the place before you make up your mind because there are all kinds of breeders and the big ones are never any good. I don't believe in buying a baby parrot [I believe in adoption and I will elaborate on this below] but, if I did, I would go to a small one... maybe somebody who has a pair of pet parrots and have allowed them to breed. The thing with baby parrots is that they are stolen from their parents when they are way too young to be separated from them [this is done so the bird imprints to humans] but it's super duper hard to handraise baby birds and the larger places tend to do it in a commercial way -which is very bad for the babies. We are talking babies exposed to light from way too young [which inhibits normal development of vision] and more often than not gavage-fed -which is extremely traumatic! We know, from studies, that baby birds that are stressed out remain high-strung all their lives so these large operations produce many babies that end up having emotional problems all their lives.

Now, let me tell you why I recommend adoption. For one thing, I love birds and it pains me to see them in rescues and, because we have a huge overpopulation problem, there are thousands and thousands of them all waiting for a good home so, in my mind, when you buy a baby bird, you are contributing to the problem and not to the solution. For another, the greatest majority of birds die before they are two years old [when you adopt an adult, you know this is a survivor so you are avoiding potential expense and heartbreak]. Third, the only way you can raise a baby macaw the right way is if you don't work outside the home and have, pretty much, no other peremptory obligations [no school, no children, etc] because these are birds that not only need to be hand-fed until they are 8 or 9 months old [the breeders will tell you they are weaned at a much younger age but parents in the wild continue supplementing their food intake until they are ready to breed again the following season], they also require an inordinate amount of hours spent with them -same as all baby animals- while, when you adopt an adult, you can pretty much start off as you are planning on going for the duration [MUCH easier for the human]. The notions that adult birds don't bond with a new human and that they are 'damaged' are both bunk -plain and simple! All my birds belonged to somebody else and they have all bonded with me. Some of them had 'issues', some were perfect from day one, but even the ones that did come with issues are now well-behaved, content birds that don't scream, don't bite, eat well, etc. because the issues are almost always caused by the previous owners' inadequate husbandry [not because they did not want to do it right but because their lifestyle prevented them from giving the parrot the right care]. And, the clencher for me is that all parrots want to leave their parents once they become sexually mature so, when you adopt a bird that is already an adult, the bird will bond with you and remain bonded to your forever.

Please think about these things but, if you still have your heart set on getting a baby, do try to get one from a small place and make sure you have the time to raise it, the infrastructure [macaws require spaces that are 30 ft long for flying and HUGE cages], the money [they are very expensive] and the commitment [we are talking 60 or 70 years].
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Hi, looking for advice

Postby Jordi44 » Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:22 am

Thanks, I'm still researching options. I used to work for an avian vet, so have seen and heard the good, bad, and, unbelievable. Even adopted a few unwanteds and found others homes. Have had some bad experiences with adopting older birds, hence the weaned baby. I'm also very aware of scammers, etc, so why I was wanting "reviews" not related to the site. Thanks again for your time and advice.
Jordi44
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Flight: Yes

Re: Hi, looking for advice

Postby Pajarita » Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:50 am

Well, all my birds came as adults and I cannot have that I have had a bad experience with any of them... I mean, yes, of course, some are super easy and some are super hard but they all turned out good at the end, some just took longer than others.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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